Saturday, July 05, 2008

I have a new love. Well, four actually. They're called Basil, Lemon Basil, Oregano-thyme, and just plain Thyme. And they're living on my windowsill. How cool is that! I'm finally getting better at taking care of plants (thanks for the watering lesson Tessa!) and my reward is experiencing how amazing it is to eat something that was growing, alive only minutes ago. Here's what I've made so far:

Grilled cheese sandwich with sweet basil (above) – made with Kashkeval sheep cheese and my new favourite white bread from the Translyvanian bakery on Davie.

Tuna sandwiches with oregano-thyme – “Hey baby, I made you a tuna sandwich for your lunch. The herbs in there are fresh from our garden...” Ooooh, I've never been able to say that before!

Fried egg sandwich with roasted red pepper strips and chopped sweet basil. I love fried egg sandwiches. They were my favourite simple no-time not much in the fridge dinner from my childhood and I still pull them out every once and a while for the same reasons. With good white bread and plenty of mayo, mmmmmm.

And, in process as we speak... lemon basil soy marinated tofu. I'm going to use the marinade as a sauce for a stir fry with red peppers and these incredibly cute baby zucchinis I bought this afternoon, and toss it all with soba noodles. Since I haven't actually cooked it yet I can't really report on the lemon basil's performance here. But I did eat several pieces tossed with the marinade, since I can never keep myself from snacking on raw tofu, and it was awesome. By itself the lemon basil tastes like a cross between lemonbalm and basil – very lemony but with nice peppery undertones. Combined with soy, lime, ginger, garlic, palm sugar, and sambal chili paste in the marinade, I think it's going to be perfect.

And, I have to confess that I wasn't satisfied with just four delicious herb-y plants to love – today they were joined by mint, sage, and dill on the windowsill. Our living room has never been so pretty. And now I can make anything I want all summer long.

3 comments:

Fantastic, sounds scrumptious (except for the mayo on the fried egg--ugh). Windowsill gardens are so so great. I had one up in Comox. Chives are great in a pot if you have a balcony which you don't of course. Thanks for the posting. I was getting withdrawal symptoms!! GB

Mmm, lemon-basil sounds amazing! Can we use it in our next Wednesday meal?

Right now, I'm sitting in Steph's lovely apartment in Montreal (she's at a soccer game), with the balcony door open, listening to all the people outside on their patios speaking French. It's so nice here!

Today, I had banane et cannelle creme glacee fait avec le lait de soya, and it was amazing!!! It tasted like freshly baked banana bread in ice cream form.

About WeDine

It all started with friendly Friday potlucks as beleaguered design students in search of a home-cooked meal, and upon graduation evolved into Wednesday Dinners, a mid-week refuge from work. After a few months we realized we were improving and had begun to think of food in new ways. We wanted to document these successes (and sometimes, failures) – and thus was born WeDine.

Here's how it works: each Wednesday, we discuss our current cravings, take inventory of what's on hand, meet at a market to gather fresh ingredients which will complete our improvised menu, and finally head home to cook together.

(Oh, and by the way, we now document all our food loves and adventures here!)